sabalenka iw draw

The 2026 BNP Paribas Open women’s draw has been revealed and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will face stiff competition in her first tournament since the Australian Open, headlining a top quarter that features a seeded trio of Naomi Osaka, Victoria Mboko, and Amanda Anisimova.

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Anisimova, seeded No. 6, is Sabalenka’s projected quarterfinal opponent in what would be a rematch of the 2025 US Open final, but Anisimova is first poised to play No. 10 seed Victoria Mboko in the fourth round while Sabalenka drew former champion Naomi Osaka.

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MATCH POINT: Mirra-culous! Andreeva rallies to beat No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka for Indian Wells title

Rounding out the top section of the draw, rising American star Iva Jovic will be in action as the No. 18 seed, and is Osaka’s projected third-round opponent. Jovic is coming off a breakthrough performance at the Australian Open, where she made her maiden major quarterfinal.

Sabalenka, who shares the top half of the draw with No. 3 seed Coco Gauff, has been off the court since finishing runner-up to Elena Rybakina at the first Grand Slam tournament of the 2026 season. Despite withdrawing from both Middle East WTA 1000 tournaments at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, she has played strong tennis at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in years past, twice reaching the final—including last year.

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Indian Wells: Where to Watch & Coverage Schedule

Indian Wells: Where to Watch & Coverage Schedule

It was in 2025 that Sabalenka fell one match short of the Sunshine Double, losing the BNP Paribas Open final to Mirra Andreeva. Seeded eighth in the bottom half of the draw, Andreeva is projected to face No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek for her quarterfinal bracket, a player Andreeva beat en route to her first Indian Wells title.

Andreeva is also projected to face No. 9 seed Elina Svitolina in a fourth-round match that would be a rematch of an Australian Open encounter the latter won in straight sets back in January.

Australian Open champion Rybakina is the No. 3 seed and is projected to face another former AO champ in her fourth round, No. 15 seed Madison Keys, who reached the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open last year. Rybakina reached the quarterfinals of her first tournament after Melbourne in Doha, but lost to Mboko in three close sets before retiring in her second round in Dubai.

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Notable wild cards include former world No. 1 Venus Williams and 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu, who will both face qualifiers in their respective first rounds.

Click here to view the full BNP Paribas Open women’s draw.